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Southwestern Historical Quarterly

"Character after all is the only thing that counts ... Cleveland[had] common sense and character but few other advantagesor gifts; Lodge [had] every advantage of birth, environment,education, and gifts many and brilliant; but literally without char-acter." Baker, a self-designated Jeffersonian, a prominent defender,in the 192o's, of Woodrow Wilson's League, had reason to despiseLodge and revere Wilson, whom he labels "imaginative, daring,impatient of precedent," but also "a poor judge of men." (Butdid not Wilson judge right-and with shrewd insight-in choosinga leading Progressive opponent of militarism to be his Secretaryof War?) For a Progressive Democrat Baker's view of Bryanis pungent: "His mind impressed me as wholly second-rate andto be saved from mediocrity by its limitless energy." But thesubjectivity of these comments may disappoint the practical his-torian of the First World War, should he be seeking materialfor some revisionary assessment of its high politics. For him, how-ever, there remain Baker's extended and important views on theBritish opposition to the St. Mihiel offensive ("extraordinary"),on the American expedition to Russia (Wilson's decision, over"my" protests), on the appointment of Pershing ("my personalselection"), and on a few other matters of importance. Whateverthe value of Mr. Thornton's book, the moral for great publicmen is undoubtedly sound: "read with a pencil in your hand."Mr. Thornton's prefatory remarks scarcely excite much interest(he is at his best when he lets Baker speak), but he concludeswith a list of Baker's books, wisely restricted to those whichBaker marked up, and which, therefore, we can be sure he read.Students of Baker's life ought to analyze this list, and Mr. Thorn-ton has rendered a distinct service in publishing it. (Captiousquery: do two items on p. 68, published years after Baker'sdeath, represent an exercise in ghost-writing?) One can hopethat soon a competent historian-biographer may render obsoleteboth Frederick Palmer's lengthy account of Baker and the war(193 1) and Mr. Thornton's pleasant but fragmentary compilationof Baker's incidental reflections with some full, concise study ofthis man, who on a number of counts is worthy of it.OTIS A. PEASEThe University of Texas